Obesity in Teens
Obesity in teens is on the rise, it is related with future health care costs due to obesity related diseases. These diseases : diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, and arthritis can cause premature death.
Obesity in teens costs the country billions of dollars a year in disease management and emergency room visits for heart problems and diabetes. However, the cost to teens isn’t as easily quantified; the problems that arise for obese teenagers range from physical to mental and can only be cured gradually over time. Below is a simple guide outlining three main risks associated with teen obesity and three ways to combat teenage obesity.
Causes of Obesity in Teens
1. Poor eating habits
More and more teenagers provide for themselves when it comes to preparing and eating meals. Most of the meals a teenager eats are provided at school. Sometimes these choices are less than healthy options, like pizza and French fries. Also available in many schools are numerous vending machines selling sodas, chips, and candy bars. Dinner may be the first and only chance a teenager has to eat a healthy meal.
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Obesity in America
Obesity in America facts : - Obesity is a life threatening disease affecting 34% of adults in the U.S.; and nearly 67% of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese.
- Between 2000 and 2005, obesity (BMI ?30) increased by 24%, morbid obesity (BMI ? 40) increased by 50% and super obesity (BMI ? 50) increased by 75%
- In 2007, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; three of these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%
- As of 2006, 11% of preschoolers ages 2 to 5, 15% of children ages 6 to 11 and 18% of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are overweight
- Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese
- One in five American 4-year-olds are considered obese and the rate is higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese
- A study of 5- to 17-year-olds found that 70% of obese children had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and 39% of obese children had at least two risk factors
Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Despite the attention of the health profession, the media, and the public, and mass educational campaigns about the benefits of healthier diets and increased physical activity, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has more than doubled over the past four decades.
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY
- Overweight and obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $117 billion annually, and since 1987, diseases associated with obesity account for 27% of the increases in medical costs
- Lost productivity related to obesity among Americans ages 17 to 64 costs $3.9 billion a year
- Obese individuals spend 36% more on health care costs and 77% more on medications per year than individuals of normal weight
As previously stated about obesity in America, there is a domino effect associated with dramatic weight gain:
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Causes of Obesity
Causes of obesity, briefly described below are several contributing causes on obesity.
Diet
A high-fat diet can certainly contribute to an increased risk for obesity. In fact, the body notoriously becomes more efficient at meeting challenges. The body may, in a high-fat diet, learn to store fat more easily–which would increase one’s body fat percentage.
Genetics
It is well established through “twin studies” research that genetics plays a role in obesity. Identical twins, who have the same genetic makeup, are more likely to be obese than are fraternal twins. Currently, there is much research investigating pharmaceuticals and the link between genetics and obesity…which means there is also concomitant increase in the number of scams associated with “quick fix” weight loss programs.
Metabolic Rate
Metabolism refers to the sum of all chemical reactions occurring in the body. On a more general level, one can think of the balance between the energy we put into our bodies through food versus the energy we give off through sleep, rest, temperature change, digestion, exercise and other activities. A person who expends a lot of energy is said to have a “high metabolic rate” (keep in mind this is a very simplified application to a complex concept). Metabolism is higher during periods of growth, pregnancy and physical activity. An individual with a ‘high metabolic rate’ is less likely to be obese than a person with a “low metabolic rate.”
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Cause and Effect of Obesity
Cause and effect of obesity do not come simply from eating too much, while not exercising enough. But obesity is much more complicated than that. Obesity is caused when something goes very wrong with your metabolism and sets up a vicious cycle. To break this cycle of obesity, you have to first understand how your metabolism works.
Obesity can result from a minor energy imbalance, which lead to a gradual but persistent weight gain over a considerable period. Some researchers have hypothesized that energy imbalance is the result of inherited metabolic characteristics; whereas others believe it is caused by poor eating and lifestyle habits, that is “gluttony and sloth”.
Your metabolism is the system by which nutrients are taken in, digested, and become energy. Energy enables our activities and maintains basic biological functions such as breathing and body temperature, as well as the directed activities such as reading, working, and playing.
When you consume carbohydrates, they are turned into blood sugar, which is the fuel for human activities and basic biological sustenance. Healthy people will maintain a balance between nutrition and cellular burning of fuel. When there is a healthy balance in this basic metabolism, you become overweight.
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Definition Of Obesity
Definition of obesity, obesity occurs when the weight exceeds 120% of the median weight for height.
Other definition of obesity :
1. Obesity is a state in which there is an abnormally great amount of neutral fat in the storage depot of the body. Objective measures used to estimate the degree of obesity are the table of average weights, ideal weight tables, Body Mass Index and measurement of skin fold thickness.
2. Obesity has been defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat in proportion to body size. Overweight persons, although still technically obese, will have a body-fat proportion that is intermediate between normal and obese.
3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity in terms of body mass index (BMI). This is a measure derived from dividing body weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres. Individuals with a body mass index between 18.5 and 25 are regarded as being of normal weight. Those between 25 and 30 are regarded as overweight and obesity is defined as a body mass index equal to, or greater than 30.
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